Former French star praises Renato Sanches amidst interest from Arsenal

Former Arsenal star Patrick Vieira has given a glowing review of Gunners target Renato Sanches.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Sanches as they look to add another midfielder to their squad. The Gunners will be without Martin Odegaard and Dani Ceballos as the duo have returned to Real Madrid.

The Gunners lacked the bite in the midfield areas as their approach was far too slow and labored. While Thomas Partey impressed initially, it’s clear that Arsenal need a more dynamic midfielder alongside him.

Sanches’ performances for Portugal before their Euro 2020 exit were impressive, and he has evolved as a player at Lille.

Vieira feels Sanches has shown flashes of brilliance at Lille, and has resurrected his career after a difficult spell at Bayern Munich.

“He was a big prospect. Everybody was waiting for him to be one of the top young players for the future,” Vieira told ITV.

“He moved to Bayern Munich where he had a very difficult period. I don’t think it was the right place for him to keep developing. But last year with Lille, he did really well. He wasn’t really consistent during the season, but he had some flashes of his talent.”

90𝘮𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦: Arsenal are keeping track on the future of Renato Sanches at Lille. 👀

— 90min (@90min_Football) June 25, 2021

Sanches attracting interest from several top clubs including Arsenal

Sanches was the next big thing a few years ago, but his disappointing spell at Bayern Munich saw his stock drop quite a bit.

A poor loan spell at Swansea City certainly didn’t help, and he was soon sold by Bayern Munich for just €20 million in the summer of 2019.

Sanches has had a new lease of life at Lille, and helped them win the Ligue 1 title against all odds last season.

Renato Sanches was SO good this Euros. Baller ⭐️💯 pic.twitter.com/I9pd8d2HDS

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) June 28, 2021

Arsenal have been impressed with his performances, but his former club Bayern Munich are also reportedly interested in re-signing him.

Sanches has some unfinished business in the Bundesliga, and under a manager like Julian Nagelsmann, he could finally fulfill his potential.

Arsenal will hope to convince Sanches to join him, but he won’t come cheap as his current contract at Lille runs until 2023.